Obituaries

By Santa Clara Magazine

May 24, 2012

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Michael L. Hackworth ’63, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist who had the IMAX theater at the Tech Museum of Innovation named after him, died April 21 at the age of 71. He was a 40-year veteran of the semiconductor industry, working for Motorola, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Signetics. His greatest claim to fame was as a co-founder in 1985 of Cirrus Logic, a supplier of high-precision analog and digital signal processing components for audio and energy markets. He served in several roles there, including CEO and chairman of the board. He also served on several private high-tech company boards and coached entrepreneurs in their company formation phases. Hackworth was a strong believer in hard work, community service, and ethics, taking a leadership role in several local nonprofits. He also served on many boards, including the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, where he created the Hackworth Fellowships 10 years ago.

Larry Hauser, part of the Broncos coaching staff from 1983 to 1997, died of complications from internal injuries in December. He was a highly successful high school basketball coach in Illinois and California prior to coming to SCU, where he recruited current NBA all-pro and two-time MVP Steve Nash ’96. He subsequently coached men’s basketball for California State University, Dominguez Hills, until 2004.

Born in 1939, Edwin H. Taylor, an adjunct professor at SCU’s School of Law for 10 years, passed away March 10, 2012, after a battle with cancer. He earned several degrees and served in the Air Force. His career in law began when an intellectual property firm asked him to prepare and prosecute patent applications for what was then a small technology company—Intel, which Taylor continued to represent for more than 40 years. Clients included Apple (since its inception), eBay, and Echelon.